POS4-1254
Mechanically Stable Coacervate Coatings for Drug-Eluting Sutures
Topic
S4. Colloids, Interfaces, and Molecular Assemblies for Functional Soft Materials
When and Where
Sep 29, 2026
08:30 - 09:30
Room 301 (Grand Ballroom)
Session Chairs
Hae Jung SON
Boseok KANG
Presenter(s)
Seoyun Choi (Seoul national university)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
Drug delivery for surgical wounds often requires additional postoperative treatment or implanted materials. Since surgical sutures are already indispensable for wound closure, surface coating provides a simple strategy to endow them with drug-delivery functionality. However, most existing suture coating strategies have largely focused on therapeutic functionality, while coating integrity and preservation of suture performance under surgically relevant conditions remain relatively underexplored. Here, we developed the LACE (Localized Anti-inflammatory Coacervate-based Eluting) suture using a polyelectrolyte coacervate of dopamine-functionalized fucoidan (D-fuc) and poly-L-lysine (PLL). Through aqueous phase separation, the oppositely charged polymers form a hydrated, polymer-rich phase capable of encapsulating therapeutic agents through multivalent electrostatic interactions. Their low interfacial tension promotes uniform spreading over the suture surface, while catechol groups provide robust adhesion. Accordingly, a single dip-coating step rapidly generated a smooth and uniform coating on ultrafine bioabsorbable Vicryl 8-0 sutures. Importantly, the coating preserved the original tensile properties of the suture and did not increase tissue-passage friction, indicating that surface functionalization was achieved without compromising surgical handling or imposing additional mechanical stress on surrounding tissues. The coating also remained firmly attached under aqueous conditions, physiological pH, and mechanical stress, demonstrating excellent resistance to delamination under surgically relevant conditions. The coacervate layer can further enable sustained local drug release, while catechol groups provide antioxidant activity. Thus, LACE offers a rapid, mechanically stable coating strategy that transforms conventional bioabsorbable sutures into multifunctional localized drug-delivery platforms with the potential to reduce additional postoperative treatment.
